The 1960s Comedy Lorne Michaels Wanted to Remake With Mike Myers

Mike Myers was a Saturday Night Live cast member for exactly six years, from January 21, 1989, to January 21, 1995. During that time, he collaborated with SNL creator and producer Lorne Michaels on two movies: 1992’s Wayne’s World and its 1993 sequel Wayne’s World 2. Believe it or not, Michaels didn’t really have any interest in making a single Wayne’s World movie, let alone two of them. When Myers was initially cast on SNL in 1989, Michaels actually pitched him on a movie idea of his own, and it had nothing to do with any of the characters Myers had played up until then.

In an interview from the Netflix Is a Joke comedy festival in 2022, Myers told American Hustle director David O. Russell that Michaels had invited him to his house in the Hamptons at some point during the first season of SNL. It was there that Michaels shared his vision for the budding comedy star’s first movie. According to Myers, Michaels said, “I want you to do a remake of The Graduate.” To give you an idea of how odd a suggestion that is, here’s the trailer for the original movie:

The 1967 comedy starred Dustin Hoffman as Benjamin Braddock, a college graduate who’s just moved back home with his parents. At his welcome home party, an older woman, played by Anne Bancroft, asks Benjamin to drive her home. That night, the two of them start having an affair. Plot twist: The woman’s husband wants to set Benjamin up with their daughter, who he then proceeds to fall in love with. 

So how did Myers feel about doing an updated version? He told Michaels he didn’t think it was a good idea. “I just offered you a f—–g movie,” Michaels said in response. Myers stood firm, telling his boss, “The Graduate doesn’t need to be remade. It’s a perfect film. And a little man should not stand in a great man’s shoes.”

That sentiment seems to have stuck with Myers throughout his career as he’s always opted to make original movies rather than remakes. He did, however, end up parodying the famous wedding finale from The Graduate in Wayne’s World 2:

So Michaels did kind of get his wish, in a way.